Super Talking Time Bros. 2
How to solve the System Tray/Audio Codec/Gradual Slowdown bug in SMBX Don't forget, SMBX defaults to your system codec for its audio. For a lot of you, it'll be something like FFDShow, and it can usually be found in your system tray while in use. So you need to adjust your codec in its control panel to run only one multiple instance, or disable multiple instances altogether, depending on which option doesn't cut off various sound effects while playing SMBX. Otherwise it will flood your tray and eventually slow down your system or crash. Once you apply this fix, quit SMBX and wait for your tray to clear out before launching it again, just so you can be sure it's taking effect. Development Kit We're using a custom version of SMBX this time, with sounds, music and graphics changed specifically for this game. You can download it from here: STTB 2 devkit (Last updated on 2012-2-7) No installer is necessary, simply extract the whole zip to a folder of your choice somewhere on your hard drive. Then you can get started right away! To take full advantage of some of the changes, be sure to save your level in the "worlds\Super Talking Time Bros 2" subfolder, so the engine will know to use some of the new graphics and edited NPCs while you're working on your level. Many of the new graphics won't take effect until you do! Graphics Pack At this point we have a healthy collection of home-grown custom graphics already, but some levels need that little extra oomph, especially the ones in more exotic worlds like Chocolate Island and World 8. Thankfully, the last remnants of the SMBX community have put out an enormous custom graphics pack that contains virtually anything we could want when building a level. It's over 100 megs! Currently, it is available from the official mirror: The SMBX CGFX Pack 3.1 For the Bowser's Castle levels, here are graphics for all of the Koopa Kids: Koopa Kids And some various NPC Kirby poses courtesy of SpoonyBardOL: NPC Kirby Deadline Our current deadline is set to February 29. Rules *You can make as many levels as you want. We have plenty of worlds to fill. *The plans are to have eight levels per world. We can go with fewer if a world isn't getting much attention, but the absolute limit is nine. This is so we can encourage some variety and not overload certain worlds. *Be sure to think ahead of time which world your level will go in, the list is below. *We're using a World Map this time, which means levels can have the theme of a previous world or a future world, depending on their relative difficulty. Be sure to specify this when you post your level. *Constructive criticism is pretty much universally accepted, but actually editing other people's levels is only okay if they say it is. *You're allowed to use custom graphics and music. Always bundle them in a folder with the exact name as your level file. (Don't actually put the level file in this folder, SMBX episodes don't work that way!) *When saving your level, always put "World-'" first, followed by the world number, your name, and the name of the level. For example: "'World-1-yourname-levelname.lvl". *Don't create clutter by using different file names for incremental updates. Simply provide a new version to overwrite the previous one. You should only change a level's file name if the name of the level itself has changed. *Unless your level requires a specific character, be sure to design it to be playable and beatable with Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad. *Remember only Mario and Luigi can use Yoshi. If Toad or Peach encounter a Yoshi or a Yoshi Egg, it will be transformed into a Kuribo Shoe. If your level requires Yoshi to beat it, make sure the player can switch to Mario or Luigi before giving them a Yoshi. *Don't worry about supporting Link for your level unless he's the star character, because his gameplay style is very different from the others. *We're using Giant Gates from Super Mario World '''for level goals. *Level Goal areas should usually look the same. The picture below provides an example. Just think "Super Mario World", "Yoshi's Island", and "Classic SMB" and you should do fine. *Secret Exits should use '''Key and Keyhole from Super Mario World. *Always place starting locations for Player 1 and Player 2. *Levels should always have a working checkpoint, no matter how hard you think the level is. The only exception to this rule is if you're building a level for World Ten (Special Zone). Checkpoints may also be removed from levels in other worlds, but only if playtesting reveals they're not needed. *'The game can only support one checkpoint per level.' If you have multiple checkpoints, the game will get confused and spawn the player at a checkpoint they didn't actually trigger. *Each level should have one Red Power Star '(selectable in the "Super Mario World" NPC list) hidden somewhere. These should be thought of like DK Coins: They can be in plain sight, or require the player to solve a puzzle or do a trick to acquire them. Remember, the level ''does not end if the player acquires one of these Stars, so place them accordingly. *Red Power Stars should never be invisible, unless offered as a prize for Red Coin challenges. (See below). If you want to hide them for any other reason, you may only hide them in '''Giant "?" Blocks. *''No Red Coin levels''. But you can still use Red Coins if you treat them the way they worked in NSMB Wii: Hit a switch, and try to grab eight in rapid succession for a reward, before time runs out and they go away. You'll have to fiddle with events to get it to work, though. *Levels should be winnable without being forced to take a hit. *Never trap the player. If a certain item or powerup is needed to progress in the level, make sure it either respawns, or the player can die if they lost it. *All water and waterfalls should be swimmable. *Invisible blocks should never be made necessary to finish the level. *''Do not use SMB3 Lakitu!'' Instead, pick the NPC you want Lakitu to throw, and make sure the "Lakitu" option on the left side of the NPC panel is set to "yes". This will create a much tamer SMW Lakitu who will throw that NPC regularly. *Never put Lakitu in any area where you can scroll the screen vertically, even just a little bit. He'll try to compensate by approaching infinite speed. *If you add Dragon Coins (Yoshi Coins), keep it to five on average, but no more than eight. *Remember that if you put a powerup in a block, it will be a mushroom if Mario is small. Putting just mushrooms will mean they'll always be mushrooms no matter what. (Hammer and Tanooki suits will always be suits, as well.) *If you have horizontal warp pipes, don't put the warp on center or it'll look weird when you enter. Always put the warp on the floor. Also, make sure any such pipes have a floor or block in front of them you can stand on, even if they're underwater. *NPC Kirby (replacing NPC Toad) doesn't always have to have the one default sprite. You can use lots of different poses and animations to depict him getting into unhelpful mischief throughout your levels. World-1: Spring Breeze (Standard World One theme) *ALL SLOTS FILLED* (10 ☆) *'1-1: Moderately Green' (☆) (Kayin and Zaidyer)' '2 *'Shrooms 'n Slopes' (☆) (SpoonyBard)' '7 *'Uphill and Downhill' (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 2 *'Goomba Sluice' (☆) '(madhair60) 1 *'Yup, That's a Level Alright (☆) '(madhair60) 1 *'Minty Mines (☆) (SpoonyBard) 3 *'Maple Syrup Forest' (☆) (Din) 2 *'Bonus Stage: Green Star Challenge' (☆) (Zaidyer) 1 *'Boss: Whispy's Fort' ('☆'☆) ''' (SpoonyBard) 3 World-2: Banana Island (Tropical/Beach/Jungle theme) *ALL SLOTS FILLED* (9☆) * '''Shy Lake (☆) (SpoonyBard) 5 * Cetacean Cove (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 4 * Oh God It's A Water Level (☆) (madhair60) 1 * Ancient Ruins (☆) '''(rogue) 1 * '''Midnight Beach Party (☆) (TERyan) 1 * Boo Haunted House (☆) (Solitayre) 1 * Pyramid Peril (☆) '''(Red Silvers and SpoonyBard) 3 * '''Boss: Koopharaoh's Tomb ('☆'☆) (SpoonyBard and Din) 2 World-3: Ribbon World (Festive party theme) (9☆) * Sky Scramble (☆) (_L_) 1 2 3 * Beat Blocks (☆) (SpoonyBard) 1 * Shell We Dance (☆) '''(Enra) 1 * '''Bonus Stage: Rocket Sled (☆) (McClain) 1 * The Koopa Kolor Guard (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 4 * Springin Shrooms (☆) '''(SpoonyBard) 3 * '''The Red Carpet Treatment (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 1 *Boss: Butter Building''' (☆'☆)' (SpoonyBard and Ifnkovhgroghprm) 2 World-4: Luigi Zone (Counterpart to "Mario Zone" from Super Mario Land 2) (8☆) The Luigi Zone is shaped like Luigi on the overworld. Each level is a loosely symbolic representation of where you are in Luigi's "body". For example, the stomach level is a cave with lots of pipes and lava. * '''Cloth Cutter Carnage' (☆) (SpoonyBard) 3 * Luigi's Other Mansion (☆) (_L_) 3 * Rumbly in the Tumbly (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 3 * Poop Shoot (☆) (McClain) 1 * The WaterWorks (☆) (SpoonyBard) 2 * Bonus Stage: Super Mario 1D Land (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 4 * Boss: The Great Luigi Offensive''' (☆'☆)' (SpoonyBard) 3 World-5: Pumpkin Hills (Autumn theme) (7☆) *'Spring Ahead, Fall Back''' (☆) '(Ifnkovhgroghprm) 3 *'Mario's Manic Marathon (☆) (TE-Ryan) http://www.torrentialequilibrium.net/misc/world5_teryan_marios_manic_marathon.rar *'High Branch Bustle' (☆) '(SpoonyBard) 2 *'Forestree (☆) '(Golbeeze) http://www.gamespite.net/talkingtime/attachment.php?attachmentid=417&d=1321213413 3 *'Rising Dry ('☆) ' (madhair60) 1 *'Bonus Stage: Beat Blocks Redux' (☆) (SpoonyBard) 2 *'Onion Bubs' (☆) (Zaidyer) 3 * Boss: Twin Woods (Needs Stage, Boss Completed) 1 World-6: Milkshake Mountain (Snow/Ice mountain theme) *ALL SLOTS FILLED* (9☆) *'Return of the Rubber Penguins' (☆) (Zaidyer) 2 *'Snowfari' (☆) (Golbeeze) http://www.gamespite.net/talkingtime/attachment.php?attachmentid=418&d=1321284541 *'Secrets of the Caves' (☆) (madhair60) 1 *'Sweet Powder' (☆) (Jikkuryuu) http://www.mediafire.com/?gs7b6sw7o6qx41l *'Shaved Ice Spelunking' (☆) (SpoonyBard) 2 *'Magnetic North' (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 2 *'Ghost Houseboat' (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 3 *'Boss: Castle of the Penguin King' ('☆'☆) (Zaidyer) 3 World-7: Chocolate Island (Similar to Super Mario World) *ALL SLOTS FILLED* (9☆) *'Decadent Descent' (☆) (SpoonyBard) 2 *'Chocolate Island is Weird' (☆) (Zaidyer) 1 *'Dee Bombs' (☆) (Zaidyer) 1 *'Hot Chocolate Depths' (☆) (SpoonyBard) 2 *Cocoa Fields (☆) (Reaku) 2 *That Other World 7 (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 5 *Chocolate Quik Sand (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 2 *'Boss: Meta Knight's Revenge' ('☆'☆) (SpoonyBard) 3 World-8: The Dark World (8☆) *'Black Plains' (☆) (TE-Ryan) http://www.torrentialequilibrium.net/misc/world8_teryan_black_plains.rar *'Left 4 Boo' (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 3 *'Blazing Lava Bridge' (☆) (SpoonyBard) 3 *'Death Mountain' (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 3 *'Bonus Stage: Thwomp! There It Is' (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 2 *'The Depths' (☆) (madhair60) 3 *Switch Block Quarry (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 2 *'Boss: Bowser Hates Your Guts' (☆) '(Din) 4 Bowser's Castle (10☆) *'Door 1: Larry '(☆)' (SpoonyBard) 6 *'Door 2: Morton '(☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 4 *'Door 3: Wendy '(☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 1 *'Door 4: Iggy '(☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 1 *'Door 5: Roy '(☆) (SpoonyBard) 2 *'Door 6: Lemmy '(☆) (Zaidyer) 1 *'Door 7: Ludwig '(☆) (SpoonyBard) 2 *'Final Stage: Bowser' ('☆'☆)' '(SpoonyBard)' '2 *'Final Battle and Ending' (☆) (SpoonyBard) 6 World-9: Star World (warp hub/Space theme) *ALL SLOTS FILLED* (7☆) * 90 Degree Climate (☆) '''(Ifnkovhgroghprm) 2 * '''Space Jump Sojourn (☆) '''(Ifnkovhgroghprm) 2 * '''Whoa Zone Layer (☆) '''(SpoonyBard) 2 * '''Mariodius (☆) (McClain) 1 * Fooling Gravity's Pull (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 1 *'Boss: Tatanga's Starbase' ('☆'☆)' '(SpoonyBard)' '4 World-10: Rainbow Road (Special Zone) (7☆) * Bonus Stage: Colossus Land (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 3 * Sprightly Sprite Sprint (☆) '''(SpoonyBard) 1 * '''Bonus Stage: Bowser Tower (☆) (McClain) 1 * Fuwa Fuwa Time (☆) (madhair60) 1 *'Bonus Stage: Please, Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em' (☆) (Ifnkovhgroghprm) 2 * Tool-Assisted Speedrun (☆) '(Ifnkovhgroghprm) 1 *'Rainbow Road Race '(☆) ' (SpoonyBard) 4